I have two events to celebrate in terms of Audiobooks with the Age of Magic series. First, the Dragon Prince audiobook production has finished and is in the QA process at ACX, which is out of Adam Gold’s and my hands. The Dragon Prince Audiobook should be available soon (likely within next 5-10 days). Second, I’m happy to announce that as of today, over 1,000 audiobook copies of The People’s Necromancer and The Dark Paladin paladin have been downloaded. Additionally, The People’s Necromancer has a 4.3 rating with 107 reviews and The Dark Paladin has a 4.8 rating with 32 ratings. These are the first two audiobooks I’ve produced, and I couldn’t be happier with the results (and it seems like fans are happy too!!)

In celebration of both of these events, I will be giving away 20 audiobook codes in my newsletter. The email will go out sometime after The Dragon Prince is available in audiobook form on Amazon. I don’t know when that will be, but expect the email soon. If you haven’t signed up for the newsletter yet, you can sign up here.

And if you haven’t received a newsletter from me, make sure your email provider isn’t marking messages from rex@rex-jameson.com as spam or putting it in your Promotions tabs on Gmail (or just make sure you check that Promotions tab).

Looking for the audiobooks for the first two books on Audible? Here are some links:

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The Age of Magic focuses on events on a world called Nirendia, but really, we’ve only seen the innerworkings of two of the 27 active kingdoms that I’m aware of so far. Let’s go over the various sovereign nations that you’ll see by the end of Book 3, The Dragon Prince, which finally releases at the end of this month.

What Nations are in the Surdel Region?

The main sovereign people here are of course the humans of the Kingdom of Surdel, but within the map we see here are four nations north of the Small Sea (and I’m lumping the orc groups into one nation because when you leave orcs to their own devices they fracture into their own groups all the time until Bloodhand comes back to reclaim his territory). The oldest nation here is the Etyria Empire, home of the dark elves and Prince Jayden’s royal family. It’s at least 50,000 years old, but because of the demon invasion below Surdel, only one city remains: Uxmal. The area covered by the Nomintaur Forest is the domain of the wood elves under King Calenanna and defended by the fierce Captain Liritmear. Technically, the paladins at Mount Godun are an autonomous nation that has been denied its citizenship to the Kingdom of Surdel due to events at the dark elven city of Xhonia some 500 years ago.

What Nations are in the Visanth Region?

The Visanth Region is dominated by The Visanth Empire. Two thousand years ago, it was actually called the Visanth Kingdom, but the Rasalased family renamed its holdings the Visanth Empire after it conquered several neighboring kingdoms along the west coast of the Great Ocean and made them into vassal states. You haven’t seen these states yet, but the Visanth Empire has long been interested in expanding its holdings, including ambitions on Surdel, with raids into the Surdel mainland with increasing frequency over the past few hundred years.

Up until 1,000 years ago, a dark elven nation also existed within the confines of the region now dominated by the Visanth Empire. Whereas the northern dark elven empire was decimated by demons, the dark elven nation of Harenyadae (“Southern Shadow” in the Elven Tongue) was destroyed by the Visanth Empire in a surprise attack west of Scythica. According to the histories in Visanth, the dark elves attacked the Visanthi people. However, several tomes in the Kingarth Library mention that homed pigeons had been sent to the south from the Etyria Empire repeatedly requesting aid after the fall of Shamat 2,000 years ago and the disappearance of Selenor the Seer, who was presumed to have died at Shamat.

The Eytria Empire condemned the action and claimed the massacred people were a relief force of men, women, and children to help with the fight against the demons in the north. The Visanth Empire didn’t believe in demons and instead sensed weakness. They slaughtered the inhabitants of Suwenga and Kristil within five months of the battle. The pikemen then assaulted Halispata and Zeligawna before moving north to take out Velenztu and Vaerua. During the siege of Zeligawna, a group of human sympathizers from Corellin protested the actions, claiming the dark elves were good neighbors and traders. The army broke up the protests and sent the sympathizers into the southern desert, where they were labeled rebels and separatists by the Visanth Empire under the name “Crelloni”, itself a jumbling of the name of the Corellin protestors. Because of its remoteness, Gelzvani didn’t fall until 2 years after the battle of Scythica. The last embassy of the Etyria Empire closed in Scythica shortly after the fall of Gelzvani, and no dark elf has been seen in the Visanth Empire since (over 1,000 years).

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to lay out some of the history of the series so far and the people who populate it. Maybe I’ll follow this up with some recaps of the histories that you can read about so far in the series. In truth, the history that will be told in this series goes back to the creation of the fantasy universe, back when Mekadesh was born, many billions of years ago. But we’ll also dive into the time of Sven (10,000-15,000 years ago), and the first contact between Selenor the Seer and Mekadesh (20,000 years ago). The majority of the series will concentrate on this more recent period (20,000 years ago until now), but several important artifacts (e.g., The Eye of Maddox and the Arm of Maddox) arrived on Nirendia several million years ago, forming the craters you can see in Surdel just north of the Small Sea and forming the valley where all of the nations of Surdel thrive.

King Jofka Rasalased of the Visanth Empire is a man who grabs life by the horns. No woman is safe from his allure. No kingdom can intimidate him. The empire prospers in his shadow… until an assassin’s blade ends the reign of the ambitious, charismatic king.

Prince Jandhar finds his dying father and the same deadly knife at his own throat. The killer utters a warning that the prince will never heed. As the assassin leaves, the Kingdom of Surdel cheers at an empire retreating, but Visanth is not a nation in decline. It is a snake recoiling.

The prince looks for a weapon to strike back at the kingdom across the sea. He finds inspiration in the volatile, winged beasts of the Dragongrounds. If he can reverse a god’s curse, the dragon riders of old may return.

Years later, Surdel burns. Undead roam the southern lands and feed on the living. A lord protector is made fiendish by the Demon Lord Orcus. Together, the master and his apprentice decimate the besieged citizens of the Croft protectorate. In the north, the Necromancer Ashton Jeraldson searches for an artifact that might turn the tide of the demon invasion. Around him, the forces of the Holy One ready themselves for the arrival of the Prince of Demons. Elves and orcs come to Croft Keep to crush the ghoulish invaders and fight a demon lord, just as a strange man from a foreign land steps onto the northern shores of the Small Sea.

The murder of King Jofka has gone unanswered for long enough. The response is finally coming, and the world will tremble at the war cry of the Dragon Prince and the might of the Visanth Empire!

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I’m still in the process of editing the story of Prince Jandhar of the Visanth Empire. Lots of intense action in this one, and because of how many characters that are involved in the core battles, it can potentially be confusing, so lots of time is being spent in rereads/rewrites to make things clear. Still, things are looking good. I’ll be passing this off to an editor at the end of this week. He’s ready and waiting, and I just need to deliver.

There’s a lot I can say about this book, but it’s best to let the contents surprise you. However, I’ll give you a bit of a tease.

If you want a bigger glimpse of the wood elves and orcs, you’re going to get that. You’ll get even more of a view into the wood elves in the next book The Red Poet. If you want to experience a demon lord who can raise the undead in a knock-down, drag-out fight with creatures that can fly above him and incinerate his minions as fast as he can create them, you’ll definitely get that too. If you think anyone in this series is invincible, though, think again. It’s only going to get more chaotic as the Age of Magic proceeds.

The Dragon Prince is expected to hit in late March. I’ll put up a preorder once I hear back from initial editor and betas about whether or not it’s ready.

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So, the entries are in, and three winners have been selected for an Audible Code for a free audiobook copy of The People’s Necromancer. Big congratulations go out to Em, Jen, and Penny! I’ll be emailing you with your codes later today.

Thanks to everyone for entering, and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you probably haven’t joined my newsletter. If you thought you did but didn’t see the giveaway notification on Sunday/Monday, check your spam filters/box for rex@rexjameson.com. You’ll need to unspamify me to get messages on contests, giveaways, new releases, etc.!

For those who signed up to be ARC readers for The Dragon Prince, things are moving along. I’m hoping to get drafting wrapped up in the next couple of weeks–depending on my workload. The robots aren’t going to create and program themselves… at least… not yet! As soon as I get the drafting done and a few editing passes, I’ll let you know. If you are as surprised about the ARC reader mention as the giveaway, well… you’re not on the mailing list then! Get to it! How else are you going to get contest and insider scoop stuff?!

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It’s been a busy week, but I’ve got some great news for readers who have been asking about an Audible version of The People’s Necromancer. Adam Gold and I are proud to announce that The People’s Necromancer has been released in Audiobook on Audible, Amazon. I believe it’s also on iTunes or on its way!

In its first week of availability, it already has 5 reviews and a 4.8 rating with 5 stars for performance on each review. That speaks volumes to Adam’s talent in bringing the story to life. Great job, man! We’re already started on Book 2, and I’m really excited about this one. There’s so much action and adventure in Book 2!

Anyway, here’s what you need to know.

The People’s Necromancer Audiobook is now available on Amazon and Audible. 7 hours of high fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, elves, demons and undead goodness! Narrated by the amazing vocal talent of Adam Gold!

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King Jofka Rasalased is a man who grabs life by the horns. No kingdom can intimidate him, and no enemy can predict where his armies and navies will strike next. The Visanth Empire prospers in his shadow… until an assassin’s blade ends the reign of the ambitious, charismatic king.

Prince Jandhar finds his father and the same deadly knife at his own throat. The killer utters a warning that the Prince will never heed. As the assassin leaves, the Kingdom of Surdel cheers at an empire retreating, but Visanth is not a nation in decline. It is a snake recoiling.

Years later, Surdel burns. Undead roam and feed on the living. A lord protector is made fiendish by the Demon Lord Orcus. Together, the master and his apprentice decimate the besieged citizens of the Croft protectorate. In the north, the Necromancer Ashton Jeraldson searches for an artifact that might turn the tide of the demon invasion. Around him, the forces of the Holy One ready themselves for the arrival of the Prince of Demons. Elves and orcs come to Croft Keep to crush the ghoulish invaders and fight a demon lord, just as a strange man from a foreign land steps onto the northern shores of the Small Sea.

The Dragon knows neither friend nor foe. For him, all are prey, and the only path forward is vengeance. He hears not the screams of the desperate and the damned—only the echoes of past wrongs long festered. The response is finally coming, and the world will tremble at the war cry of the Dragon Prince and the might of the Visanth Empire!

Release expected: Late 2018.

Audiobooks Delayed

Adam Gold has fallen ill with pneumonia, and we must delay the release of the Audiobook for The People’s Necromancer. We all wish him a swift recovery!

Series Sales Update

The Age of Magic has been my most successful series launch so far. Amazon.com is delayed in royalty payments, but the results have been simply stunning. To all of the fans who have discovered my writing, my sincere thanks. Don’t forget to join my newsletter, as I will be doing more paperback giveaways soon!

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In less than 12 hours, The Dark Paladin will become available worldwide. Get ready for a book that is going to absolutely blow your socks off! I can’t wait until you guys get a chance to see the tenacity of the wood elves and the brute strength of the orcs under Chief Bloodhand. This book is probably going to make you tear up a bit–I know it does with me every time I have done a read through. It will also hopefully be a bit inspiring and exciting!

The audiobook for The People’s Necromancer is in the works. Adam has provided me with the first 2 chapters and prologue of the final product. I think he does a great job, and it’s a lot of fun to listen to. Hopefully, you guys enjoy this preview. We expect the full audiobook to be ready by the end of June, and we’ll start recording The Dark Paladin soon after.

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After nearly two weeks of release, The People’s Necromancer has racked up nearly 2800 unit sales across Amazon, B&N, Apple and Kobo. There have also been over 5 paperback sales. It has been a very successful run so far, in terms of volume. It also has a 4.25 average score on Goodreads right now out of 20 ratings (which is amazing!) However, what’s really unfortunate is that The People’s Necromancer has only received 6 reviews so far on Amazon, with only a 3.7 rating. Usually, my Goodreads ratings are LOWER than my Amazon ratings because of the grading scale that Goodreads recommends (5 is amazing, and 4 is really liked it, while 3 is liked it and 2 is it was ok).

One of the reasons for the 99 cent pricing was so that I could use the various newsletter and author service programs (e.g., ENT, RobinReads, KND, etc.) that only send out discounted books to their lists. These have undoubtedly helped with the release week. However, I’ve also been rejected by a few of these providers because even after a week, the book only had 3 reviews on Amazon (at the time, over 4 stars). What this ultimately means is that without reviews on Amazon, authors like myself cannot use the services that are out there to help us promote books so more readers can be aware of new releases and new authors to try.

So, what am I trying to say here? If you liked or loved the book, please be sure to leave a review on Amazon. Readers are often very cautious about trying new authors, and your opinion may help them decide to try an author like me out. Readers very much rely on this kind of feedback system, so please leave reviews! It’s extremely appreciated by everyone (not just me).

Audio Book

The Audio Book for The People’s Necromancer is under production with actor Adam Gold voicing the series. There were over 50 auditions for The People’s Necromancer on ACX, and there were so many fantastic auditions that it was hard for my author friends and beta readers to choose. However, we narrowed it down and readers decided. You can listen to the winning narration by Adam Gold here.

New Releases Coming Up

The Dark Paladin is less than two weeks away (June 4th)! The book is just amazing, and it has so many emotional and action-focused arcs. If you love female heroines, there are two that are introduced in this book that you are going to absolutely die for. Captain Liritmear of the Wood Elves undoubtedly steals the show. Allison Arrington is the fierce paladin wife of Cedric Arrington. There’s also a tease of the powerful sorceress Princess Cassandra before she comes into her powers, so you won’t quite get to see her kicking ass just yet. Cedric and Prince Jayden make their presence known, and Ashton and the demon lord Orcus are set on a collision course of undead, demons and dragons!

If you are interested in being an ARC reader, email me at rexjameson@gmail.com or reply to this thread. ARC readers are people who receive “Advance Reader Copies”. The hope is that you can read through the book before the release, provide feedback and/or leave a review on Goodreads, Amazon, or any other vendors when the book goes live. Please let me know if you can be responsive in emails and are willing to read through the books quickly, before release.

The Third Book The Dragon Prince

In The Dark Paladin, you also get a glimpse of The Dragon Prince Jandhar Rasalased. Jandhar is the son of the late King Jofka of the Visanth Empire, and this young man is on a quest for vengeance that transcends such pesky things as demonic armageddons! I’m in the process of drafting, and I expect this third book to be out in October or November of this year. Stay tuned for cover art and release information!

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The People’s Necromancer will be released on May 7, 2018. The second book The Dark Paladin will be released on June 4, 2018. For a very limited time, each of these books will be 99 cents. Due to advertisements slated in June, the People’s Necromancer is going to be 99 cents for a few weeks into June. However, I’m not going to make any guarantees about how much longer than that the price will hold.

For those who managed to pick up a copy of The People’s Necromancer, this will be a slightly different version with an additional prologue and tighter story and flow (as well as fixes to typos and the addition of an inline map). I’m incredibly excited to share these stories with you, and I hope you’re excited to read about Nirendia and Ashton Jeraldson’s journey across Surdel. You’re going to meet the dark elves as their civilization is dying beneath the mountains. You’re going to ride with the paladins as they smite their way back into the good graces of the people. You’ll watch the murdered commoners come back from the dead for vengeance. Elves, orcs, humans, undead, demons, and even dragons make appearances! Get ready for a tale that throws you into the battles, love affairs, politics, highs, lows, and chaos of The Age of Magic!

You can find fantasy maps of the kingdoms on the Maps page. You can find descriptions of the books on the Novels page.